


We Are One Direction

by mystic_believexx



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Breaking the News, Happy Ending, I'm an emotional wreck right now and needed some kind of closure, Other, Sad, Zayn leaving the band
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-26
Updated: 2015-03-26
Packaged: 2018-03-19 17:41:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3618549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mystic_believexx/pseuds/mystic_believexx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zayn knew the decision had been a long time coming, knew this was always how it would end for him. But that didn’t make it any easier to break the news.</p>
<p>When Zayn decides to leave One Direction, the hardest part is telling his friends. <br/>Basically, a sad drabble I wrote to commemorate Zayn Malik leaving One Direction. Life will never be the same without him! :(</p>
            </blockquote>





	We Are One Direction

**Author's Note:**

> Definitely not my best work but I'm in an emotional frame of mind and just needed to vent out my feelings.   
> Also, I looked like a wierdo crying to my computer screen while staring at a picture of Zayn so I figured crying about this story was a better option. 
> 
> Also, it hasn't really been edited. Hopefully there aren't any glaring mistakes but if there are, please let me know <3 xx  
> Okay...on with the show...

Zayn knew the decision had been a long time coming, knew this was always how it would end for him. But that didn’t make it any easier to break the news. 

They all suspected. Of course they did. He had been close to tears when he’d jetted home from the Asian leg of their tour and Liam, Harry, Louis and Niall had hugged him just the slightest bit harder than normal before he boarded the plane.

Stress, the media had called it but it was more than that. It was him accepting that this was as far as he could go. For him, this was the end of the line.

“We’ll hold down the fort for you”, Niall had chuckled a bit wetly as he said his goodbyes. “Here’s hoping we see you soon, mate”.

And Zayn had nodded despite having already made up his mind. He just couldn’t look them in the eyes when he told them. That was why he had waited until he reached the UK and finalised the legal proceedings of leaving the band.

It was then, with shaking hands, that he picked up his phone and dialled the first of four numbers that were more familiar to him than his own.

Niall picked up on the second ring.  
“Zayner!” he half shouted and instead of snapping back as Zayn normally did, he huffed out a laugh. A teary laugh.

Niall noticed at once.   
“Zayn?” he asked, voice a bit quieter, concern evident. “Is everything okay?”  
Zayn took a deep breath, managed to speak even though his voice came out hoarse. 

“Yeah Niall. I just…there’s something I need to tell you”.

“Mm?” Niall prompted.

“I…um, I’ve decided to leave the band”, he said it in one breath, screwing his eyes shut as he heard the silence from the other end grow heavy.

After a minute that felt like an hour, Niall spoke.  
“I’m happy for you, mate”.

That made Zayn open his eyes in shock.  
“Y..you are?” he asked.

“Of course I am!” Niall answered before he gave a sigh. “I mean, I’m not happy you’re leaving, obviously. I’m gonna miss you a ton! But we’ve all noticed the way you haven’t been yourself lately. The lack of sleep and energy, how drained you look after every show…we knew it was only a matter of time. But god, Zayn, I’m gonna miss you! It’s always been the five of us, you know?”

“Yeah”, And if tears were slowly forming in his eyes, Zayn hardly cared. “I’m going to miss you too, Niall. All of you”.

He thought about all the fun they had had together, from the early days of X-Factor to their first stadium tour, all the albums they had recorded, the rehearsals they had taken part in, the interviews they groaned over but loved doing just the same. And the fans. How much they all loved the fans.  
One Direction had been his family since the age of seventeen, his brothers, his best friends. Every dream Zayn had ever had, he had accomplished with the four of them by his side. It felt as if he were leaving a part of him behind forever. It was, without a doubt, the hardest decision he had ever made in his life.

“We’ll still see each other, mate”, Niall said firmly, as if sensing his thoughts. “You might not be my bandmate anymore but nothing’s gonna stop you from being by best friend! As soon as this tour’s over, we’re having a sleepover at yours. Got it?”

Zayn laughed through the tears.   
“Done”, he grinned through the phone as Niall chuckled back. “And, Ni? Do one more thing for me, yeah?”

“Anything”, Niall answered without a trace of hesitation. Yes. Zayn really loved his boys.  
“Stay strong, yeah? One Direction is the best band in the world. Keep it that way”.

“I told you, Zayn”, Niall replied, “We’ll hold down the fort for you. You’ll always be a part of this band, mate. Whether you’re here in person or spirit. There’s no One Direction without you”.

And for reasons he couldn’t even attempt to explain, those words made his heart clench a little less and he could breathe a little easier.

When he called Harry, he wasn’t surprised to hear Louis’ chatter in the background.

“I’ve made my decision, guys”, Zayn said and if he had thought it would be easier to say the second time, he had been wrong. “I’m leaving the band”.

Louis’ shout of, “WHAT!?” was quickly shushed by Harry.

“We understand, mate”, he said and his voice only shook a little bit. Barely noticeable if Zayn didn’t know Harry the way he did. “We’ll miss you”.

“Hold up. No. I do not fucking understand!” Louis grabbed the phone off Harry and Zayn moved his away from his ear as Louis’ shout came through.

“What the fuck, Malik? I’m going to kill you! I will fucking fly there and murder you with my bare hands!” Louis wasn’t holding anything back. 

“You know I love you, Lou”, Zayn tried to keep his voice in control as he spoke, refusing to let the overwhelming emotions from taking over. “But I really don’t think your hands are strong enough for that”.

Louis huffed. “Fine. I’ll get Harry to kill you!”   
“He’s too kind hearted”, Zayn replied and he heard the moment Louis’ anger, a cover for his grief, faded away. Heard it in the way his voice cracked as he said, “What am I supposed to do without you, Zayn?”

And Zayn couldn’t even attempt to hold back the tears streaming down his cheeks.

“You’re supposed to go out there on that stage and perform, Lou”, he answered, voice thick with tears. “You and the boys are going to carry on our legacy as One Direction”.

“Shit! I’ll miss you!” And Louis was quite openly sobbing by this point. “We’ll talk, yeah? And meet up as soon as we’re back in the UK!”

“Course we will”, Zayn answered and he heard Louis sniffling. 

“I’m still gonna murder you”, he muttered before passing the phone to Harry, causing Zayn to give a watery chuckle.

“Zayn”, Harry’s voice was deeper than normal, a sign he too had been crying. “We love you. A lot. Don’t forget that”.

“I know. Love you too”, Zayn replied and he meant it. They were a family. They would always love each other.

“Have you talked to him yet?” Harry’s next question made Zayn’s breath hitch.   
“Not yet”, he managed to answer and he heard Harry sigh. 

“You should”, he replied, “He’s been worried”.  
And damn it! Zayn really didn’t need to feel guilty on top of everything else when he spoke to Liam.

“Yeah. I…I’m going to call him right now”, he said.  
“Okay”.

Zayn heard a scuffle and then Louis was back on the phone.   
“I’m calling you tonight. Right after the show!” he said, the tone brooking no room for argument. “Actually, scratch that. We’re Skyping tonight. All of us”.

Zayn smiled, feeling happier than he had in days.   
“Yeah. I’d like that. Yeah”.

“Now”, Louis said, his tone resuming its normal confidence, “Go call your boy”.

Before Zayn could protest, he had disconnected the call, barely letting Harry shout a quick, “Good luck, Zayn!”

Zayn’s fingers trembled as he pressed the call button for the last and possibly most important person in his life. He just hoped Liam would forgive him.

“Li?” Zayn asked as the phone was picked up on the first ring. “There’s something I…”

“God, Zayn”, Liam’s voice shook and Zayn could tell he’d been crying.

“Are you okay?” Zayn’s tone shifted to one of alarm. What was wrong? Why was Liam crying?

“You’re leaving us, aren’t you?” Liam said, “You’re leaving me”.  
And that was when Zayn began to sob openly.

“I just…this isn’t…I just wanna be out of the limelight, Li”, he managed to gasp out, “I never wanted to leave you but…it’s all just too much!”

“I know”, Liam did. He sounded comforting now, a familiar presence. “I knew you would, Zayn. Even when you left, I knew. You couldn’t look me in the eyes”.

So he _had_ noticed.  
“I would’ve broken down Liam”, Zayn answered truthfully because he could never lie to Liam. He had never been able to. “If I’d seen your eyes, I would’ve changed my mind. I couldn’t…but I need this, Li. I need some time away from fame”.

“I get it, Zayn”, Liam answered. “It’s just…do you mean…by time away, do you mean away from me?”

It suddenly hit Zayn what this must sound like to Liam.   
“No! God, no! Liam, I don’t mean that at all! It’s just the fame, being in the spotlight, not having a single bit of privacy in my life. I don’t want time away from you! That’s not what this is about”. He meant it. Being away from Liam had been one of the hardest factors in his decision. It was, in fact, the main reason he had stayed on after the first couple of years. Because Liam was there and he hated the thought of being away from him.

“Good”, Liam gave a sigh and Zayn understood it was relief. “God, Zayn. I…I’m not sure how to…I’ll miss you. So so much”.

“I’ll miss you too”, Zayn answered, sniffling back the tears. His shirt was tearstained. It was the same shirt he had worn for their first ever concert. It reminded him of them. It reminded him of Liam.

“I love you, Zayn”, Liam said it softly, earnestly, “That’s never going to change”.

“I love you too, Li”, he answered, “Forever”.

 

______________________

 

5 YEARS LATER:

Zayn sat in the back of the limo, running a hand through his hair. His hands were shaking slightly, his feet were jittery. He had never thought he’d do this again but when Liam had told him this was going to be One Direction’s last ever world tour and that it would mean the world to all the boys and the fans if they could do it together one last time, Zayn had found himself agreeing.

He wasn’t going to deny he was nervous but he had gotten nothing but words of encouragement and praise on twitter for the last three weeks, ever since the band had announced Zayn’s return for the final tour. 

“It only seems fitting that you be there”, Louis had told him, “We started off as five. That’s the way we’re going to end this”.

Zayn arrived at the airport, grabbed his bag and walked in, ignoring the paparazzi in a way he hadn’t had to do for years. He felt his throat go dry, his breathing speed up as the security manoeuvred him through the crowds. It was all so familiar like a forgotten dream. 

Within minutes, he was being escorted to the private jet and he climbed the steps, feeling more nervous by the second. And then he saw them.

Harry had already claimed the seat next to Louis, chuckling as Louis finished the punchline for his joke. Niall saw him first. One minute, Niall was grinning and the next, a blonde-haired bundle of joy had flung himself into Zayn’s arms.

Zayn caught him effortlessly, grinning as he hugged his friend. They had stayed close in all the time since Zayn left the band but this was different. This was the way things had used to be. 

Louis and Harry jumped up too, each hugging him and Louis, being the annoying prick he was, ruffling his hair.

“Hair and makeup will fix it for you”, Harry pointed out as Zayn growled, “Lou can’t wait to get her favourite person back”.

“She only loves me for my hair”, Zayn said but he grinned. And then he saw Liam. The warm brown eyes were wearing a happy glow and when he moved to hug him, Liam pulled him into his arms. His breath ghosted over Zayn’s ear as he whispered, just for the two of them to hear, “Welcome back, love”.

 

______

The moment they stepped out on the stage, Zayn felt his blood thrum with adrenaline. His feet moved of their own accord, knowing where to go, what to do. He smiled at the cameras, waved at the fans, laughed at some of the signs they held. 

It was so good to be back. He had missed it and yet he couldn’t say he regretted the time he had spent away. But Louis had been right. 

Standing here, performing the last show of their careers, Zayn felt it was indeed fitting that they were all there together.

“We love you all”, Harry was saying into the microphone now, “We love you very, very much”.

“The years we spent with you have been some of the happiest in our lives”, Niall added.

“We’re a family. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us”, Louis continued.

“And we hate saying goodbye but all things must come to an end”, Liam said.

The boys assembled around him, standing in a line. 

All eyes turned to them. The stadium was quiet, breathless.

 

“For the final time”, Harry said softly.  
“We”, Louis said.  
“Are”, Niall continued.  
“One”, Liam smiled.  
“Direction”, Zayn finished.

They all spoke as one as they said, “Goodbye to the greatest fans in the world!”  
And, despite their days of fame being behind them, every single person in that stadium knew, the five boys would remain friends for the rest of their lives. They would always be One Direction.


End file.
